Conveyer



Patented June 20, 1944 CONVEYER Charles I. Lattig, Columbus, Ohio, assignor. to

The Jefirey Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Ohio Application May 4, 1942, Serial No. 441,610

11 Claims.

My invention relates to conveyers of the type in which endless chain flight conveyer mecha nism is enclosed in a vertically rising casing and one of the objects of the invention is the provision of improved and eflicient means for controlling feed of material to the conveyer to reduce to a minimum the congestion of the material in the casing.

Another object of the invention is the provision of mechanism for effecting such measured quantities of material between flights near the feed opening as to effect less quantities of such material in other portions of the conveyer distant from the feed opening.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means in the return run of a conveyer for tilting the flights of a chain flight conveyer to such angles as to have predetermined effective conveying areas and providing a different tilting of the flights in the working run of the conveyer.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the novel features and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the complete conveyer embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevational view showing the conveyer mechanism associated with the feed opening;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation embodying a modification;

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5 looking in the direction of the arrows.

By referring to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that the complete conveyer comprises a totally enclosing casing or housing I comprising a vertical leg 8 and a horizontal leg 9. The casing or housing I is generally L-shaped and has within the same, separate tubes, the one designated I being the working tube and the other designated II being the return tube. 4 I a At the foot of the casing 'I there is an ad- J'ustable foot sprocket or wheel I2 and at the head thereof is a head shaft I3 carrying a head sprocket I4 which is provided with spaced sprocket teeth between which the links I5, I 0: an endless chain I8 travel. The chain I 6 is endless and extends between the drive sprocket I4 and the idler sprocket I2 in position to travel along the tubes III and II of the casing I.

The head sprocket I4 is connected by sprocket chain gearing II to the electric driving motor l8. Granular material may be fed through the feed opening I9 into an upper tube section 21 of the horizontal leg 9 of the casing I. The head section 28 of the casing I is provided with a discharge opening 2|. In order to deliver material to the discharge opening 2I the chain I6 is driven upwardly along the tube II) in the direction of the arrow 22.

Every other link I5 is provided with a prov jecting arm 23 to which is hinged or pivoted at 24 the leg 25 of a solid, notched flight 26. It will thus be seen that the flights 26 are spaced every other link of the chain I6, the links I5 being flight-carrying links and the links I5 being plain connecting links. In the upper tube section 21 of the horizontal leg 9 of the casing, the arms 23 of the links I5 project upwardly, while in the lower tube section 28 of the horizontal leg 9 the arms 23 project downwardly. The tube sections 21 and 28 of the horizontal leg 9 are superimposed and the chain conveyer section in the return tube II may be said to be the return run, the working run being in the working tube I 0. The chain conveyer in the upper tube section 21 moves to the left as viewed in Fig. 2 while in the lower tube section 28 the chain conveyer moves toward the right. In the lower tube section 28 the flights 26 are inverted relative to the flights in the upper tube section 21.

An important feature of my invention is the provision of mechanism in the upper tube section 21 to eflect a smaller cross-sectional area for the passage of material than the cross-sectional area for the passage of material in the lower tube section 28. Measured quantities of material between flights adjacent the feed opening I9 may then be delivered to the lower tube section 28 with the assurance that sufficient space will be afiorded in the working tube I0, particularly in the curved connecting portion of the same, for free transfer or flow of the material toward the discharge npening 2| without congestion or choking of the material in the casing I.

At the bottom of the upper tube section 27 is a longitudinal chain guide formed by means of the parallel spaced-apart longitudinal strips 29, 29. On top of the strips 29, 29 are mounted the horizontal plates 30, 30 which may be seciable angle to the vertical.

cured to the inner opposite walls of the tube section 2?. Inasmuch as the plates 38, 30 may be secured to the strips 29, 29 as Well as to the walls of the tube section 21 and project inwardly beyond the upper edges of the strips 29, 29, the chain H5 will be confined against movement relatively to the tube section 2! in all directions except longitudinally of the tube section 21. The inner edges of plates 30, 36 are spaced apart to form a longitudinal slot for receiving the pro-- jecting arms 23. The plates {50, 38 therefore in reality form a horizontal partition immediately above the chain, slotted longitudinally to .permit.

free passage of the arms 23. If V As shown in Figs. 2, 5 and 6, inclined ramps are provided to direct each flight from its position shown at the right-hand end of Fig. 2 to the plates 3, 36. In other words, as the flights move toward the feed opening l9, their lower edges 32, 32 will ride "up therampstl'; 35 onto the upper s'urfacesoi the plates 30; 3i3so'f that the upper edgei33 Tofi'ea'chifiight will beheld closely adjacent to the roof of the tube section El asthe flight approaches the feed opening it and'as'itrecedes therefrom.

In order to closethenotches in the flights as they approachthefeed opening 89' and recede therefrom, I have secured to" the edges of the plates 31?, 3, the. longitudinal members :58, 3d spaced apart at 35 for the passage of the legs 25 of'the flights. The members 3 1, 34 may be curved at 36 to converge to'the slot 35 and therebyserve to guiole the flight leg 25 into the u slot 35. As the flights move't'oward the left as viewed in Fig. 2, the legs 25 and the members 3 3, 3d co-act to fill the notches and therefore the flight 26 spans the cross-sectional area available for. the movement of material while between the flights near the feed opening. Thiseffective cross-sectional area, however, is substantially less than the cross sectional area of the lower tube23.

When the flight 2t runs off the bottom of the upper tube section 21 it will be free to drop until the upper edge of the notch in the 'flight'ZB strikes against the chain to effect a shaking off of adhering material. The inaterialis-delivered to the lower tube section 28 to" the right of the sprocket l2 as viewed in Figs. '1 and 2 The material is "thus delivered in measured quantities, because as each fiightleaves the'leit-handedge of the feed opening 59,- the flight to the left thereof as" viewed in Fig. '2, is still resting on the plates 3th 38 or on the tops of the members 3d, 3d cr'on both the platstdtil and the members 3%, 3d, the object being t'o close the flights across the efiective crdss-sedtionalareal so that a measured quantity of material willbe delivered to the lower tube section'28.

By varying the sizes of the flights and changing the'co-acting' flight-notch closing structure accordingly, the measured quantity of material to be delivered to the lower'tube section 23 'may be varied. In'other words, by varying the projected areaof the flight the eiiective cross-sectional area for the flow'of materialinthe upper tube tot'ne left of the feed opening l9 as'viewed in 2, may be'varied. I

In any event, however, the cross-sectional area of the lower tube section 26 should be appreciably larger than the 'efiective cross-sectional area in the upper tube. In the upper tube section 27 the flights are supported at an appre- In. the lower" tube section 28 the flights are inverted and occupy nearly vertical positions as permitted by the spacing of the edges 32, 32 at 37, 3'! from the ceiling of the lower tube 28. In each case the flights substantially fill the cross-sectional area of the tube. Consequently more space or volume is provided between successive flights for movement of the material along the active or working run, particularly along the curved portion of the working tube I i] of casing l, where on account of spillage of material from above and on account of spreading of certain portions of adjacent flights and movements of such portions back toward each other, the material tends to become congested.

When the chain travels toward the right in the lower tube section 28, as viewed in Fig. 2, the chain rests on the flights in the notches thereof but when the chainpasses around the curved portion toward the'verticalsection of tube It the chain engages the inner wall of the tube in which it travels, while the lower edges of the flights remain in scraping Contact with the wan adjacent the right-hand: outer surface of the casing l, as viewed in Fig. 1.- It will thus be seen that in the tube ii) the flights act as scraper flights with ample space available for movement ofthe material relatively to the flights whenever there is any'tendency tocrowdingor congestion. Furthermore, when the flights are traveling upwardly in the vertical le'g'of the working tube 58 or" casing 'tth'ey are nearly at right angles to the path of travel and they each exert a lifting force at spaced intervals 'to keepthe material moving toward the discharge opening, as itis preferred'todrive the endless chain conveyer continuously at a substantially constant speed. On accountof the regulation of the feed to deliver measured quantities' the material can not be fed in too fast, and congestion during conveying operations'to the discharge opening 2] is reduced to a minimum. T 7 V In Fig. 4 I have shown a modification in that strips 38, 3% of resilient material such as rubber, are secured to the under sidesof the adjacent inner edges of the plates tfi, 3d'to eiitend toward each other and leave a narrow slot between the same. These resilient strips 38, 38 are adapted to engage the upwardly projecting legs '25 of the flights. This arrangement forms a seal to eiiect a reduction in amount of material that can enter into the chain guiding me cha nism extending along the bottom of the tube section 21.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing-from 'thefspiritfand scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appendedjand It'h'erefore wish not to be restricted to the precise construction here'in" disclosed.

Having thus'describ'ed' and shown an "embodiment of my inventionl what Idesirtojs i f lf Letters Patent of the United State s'is; p

1. In apparatus 'for conveyinggranularima t'erial, the combination with a casing having? feed opening, of, conveying mechanism including solid type notched flights, fixedmeans in s aid casing adjacent to said feed opening for substantially closing the" notches in; saiii flights while approaching andadjacentsaid feed open ins and w l ec din i h f -J Q 1 12! a atu f I' .Q Y?Y l e n rmat ri he comb onlwi jub l ar as a eway having a feed opening, of chain conveying mechanism having flights thereon movable along said passageway below said feed opening, and cam mechanism in said passageway in position to be engaged by said flights and constructed and arranged to move the latter above a horizontal plane extending through the top of the conveyer chain to effect confinement of a predetermined volume of material between adjacent flights.

3. In apparatus for conveying granular material, the combination with a conduit, of a chain conveyer having flights thereon, guiding mechanism for the chain of the conveyer, a slotted transverse partition in said conduit in a horizontal plane above said guiding mechanism, and means for guiding said flights onto said transverse partition to slide along the latter.

4. In apparatus for conveying granular material, the combination with a support, of a chain flight conveyer including notched flights pivoted at intervals to upwardly extending arms on spaced links of the chain, a transverse slotted partition, said arms being movable along the slot in the partition, guide mechanism below the slot for said chain, and means supported on the partition to fill the slots in the flights as the latter move along said support.

5. In apparatus for conveying granular material, the combination with a conduit, of a chain flight conveyer including notched flights pivotally connected to spaced apart links of the chain, guiding mechanism for the chain, means for supporting the trailing edges of the flights to hold the upper edges of the flights in close proximity to the roof of said conduit, and mechanism on said supporting means adapted to fill the notches in the flights as the latter are moved through said conduit.

6. In apparatus for conveying granular material, the combination with a support, of a chain flight conveyer movable along said support and including flights connected to arms projecting upwardly from spaced links of the chain, guiding mechanism for said chain, means supporting the bottom edges of said flights above said chain, and resilient strips on said supporting means in position to engage the said upwardly projecting arms.

7. In apparatus for conveying granular material, the combination with a support, of a chain flight conveyer movable along said support and including flights connected to arms projecting upwardly from spaced links of the chain, guiding means for the chain, spaced members forming a transverse partition in position to be engaged by said flights, and resilient strips on the inner edges of said members to form a seal to reduce to a minimum the material entering said chain guiding means.

8. In apparatus for conveying granular material, the combination with a horizontal working tube having a feed opening, of a return tube, a chain flight conveyer movable along said tubes comprising notched flights pivoted to the chain, guiding mechanism for the chain in the return tube, guiding means for the flights in the return tube to hold the flights in positions to span the effective cross-sectional area in the return tube, and stationary means for spanning the notches in the flights as they approach the feed opening and recede therefrom, the construction and arrangement being such that the cross-sectional area of the working tube is larger than the effective cross-sectiona1 area of the return tube.

9. In a conveyer, the combination with a casing forming a working tube leading to an outlet, of conveyer means for conveying material through said tube to said outlet including pivoted flights, means for feeding material to a straight portion of said casing in limited quantities including means for tilting said pivoted flights so that the available volume between successive flights is less than between said successive flights while thereafter traveling through said working tube.

10. In a conveyer, the combination with a casing forming a working tube section and a communicating feed tube section, the feed tube section having a smaller cross-sectional area than the working tube section, conveyer means including pivoted flights traveling through said sections to convey material successively through them, said flights being constructed substantially to fill the cross-sectional area in each of said sections, and means for tilting said flights while traveling through said feed tube section so they sweep a smaller area than when traveling through said working tube section.

11. In a conveyer, the combination with 2. casing forming a working tube section and a communicating feed tube section, the feed tube section having a smaller cross-sectional area than the working tube section, conveyer means including pivoted flights traveling through said sections to convey material successively through them, said working tube having a curved and upwardly extending portion, and means for tilting said flights while traveling through said feed tube section so they sweep a smaller area than when traveling through said working tube section.

CI-LARLES I. LATTIG. 

